Large Hadron Collider

[Soliex]

So, Tomorrow 9/10/08 is the scheduled date for CERN to turn on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It's a little scary because scientists are messing with the unknown. They are trying to figure out how Atoms are created and thus how the universe was created.

Some say its going to be the cause of the end of the world. Others say it will be the most significant scientific discovery of our time.

What do you think?

[ponysoprano]

haha! I read about this, and yes it's very cool and scary, but when I saw the title of your post I did a double-take....I thought for a second it said "Hardon" Collider. ops: :shock:

Here's a NY Times article about the risks of black-hole potential
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/15risk.html

[Starcadia]

haha! I read about this, and yes it's very cool and scary, but when I saw the title of your post I did a double-take....I thought for a second it said "Hardon" Collider. ops: :shock:

You wouldn't be the first. It's become a joke over the months since it's been in the mainstream media. There was even a misprint in the New York Times fairly recently. Google "Large Hardon Collider" and you'll see some funny stuff.

I think the LHC is a fantastic testament to the potential of human achievement, and I'm sure we'll learn lots of very interesting and valuable things. Makes me feel less badly about the lack of American ambition to complete the Superconducting Super Collider. Somebody had to do it, and I can't wait for the results in coming years.

[Grim]

Actually they admit they will create a black hole, but it will be on the molecular level in size. So small you would need a microscope to even view it.

No need to be afraid, but it sound slike a wild goose chase because they want to create dark matter and study it and also to find the GOD molecule.

A molecule that is the basis of matter itself. It exists in theory but hasnt been proven.

And there are numerous other colliders in use today this one is just larger.

Theres really no impending doom. Thats just over speculation and chaos theories at work.

And they rescheduled the start time. Its a no go for now because a machine wasnt working properly.

[cocsp2002]

I agree with Grim. I read an article in Discover about this thing, and they said that for a significantly sized black hole to occur, that about 5 or 6 scenarios had to go wrong all simultaneously. The probability of something like that happening is so astronomically low that it can be called "impossible".

[Mazur]

If they create a real black hole it won't be a problem for citizens of the Earth. We will be all dead in about 0.0000000001 second.
No funerals, no cries, no blood, no shocking TV news.
The Earth will disappear.
Who cares?

BTW. Maybe some of you know what kind of surprise Bin Laden is preparing for 9/11?

[Soliex]

BTW. Maybe some of you know what kind of surprise Bin Laden is preparing for 9/11?

He is going to surrender?

No really, I thought I heard on NPR this morning that they flicked the switch and have particles accelerating throught the 17 mile tube. However, they are not conducting any collisions yet.

I've been doing alot of reading about it lately and most of the smart people working on it said that the black holes that will be created will more than likely shoot out into space. Still it's scary and exciting what will come from it.

[ponysoprano]

found this on photobucket, so...they're off by a few months.

[rollinred]

Why is everyone saying anything about black holes. Black holes can not suck in all of the matter around them unless they are big enough. There are already thousands of black holes, which arnt really "holes", around outer space. So why hasnt the universe been sucked in yet. And that is quite simple. Black holes operate on gravity due to the mass that they have. A star can emplode and create a black hole but nothing ever gets sucked into it if there is nothing around. So if we take some molecules like the "Hardon collider" and create a black hole, they have already said that it would not even harm the people inside of the chamber. Only the very small amount of molecular matter that is around it. There just isnt enough matter creating the black hole to harm anything.

[bakerbarber]

Anyone hear about this on Coast to Coat AM last night?

Usually the last thing I hear before bed.

[Starcadia]

Yeah, I don't know what all the fuss is about. They've already shown with math that any black hole that would be created would be too small and too short-lived to be of any worry.

Meanwhile, everybody should take a look at the live webcam they've set up at the LHC and watch the activity there. Fascinating.

---> http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

[ponysoprano]

that's awesome! hahaha! very clever. :shock:

[Zero]

found this on photobucket, so...they're off by a few months.

Yes, the American contingent from Fermilab, who were charged with constructing some of the magnets, screwed up the design by failing to account for a number of key forces. Consequently, the magnets blew up when they first tested them and flooded the LHC underground with liquid helium, etc. It took some time to fix that little, erm... issue. Fermilab's director wasn't too pleased about it, telling his team that they had caused "a pratfall on the world stage" :lol: :lol:

Oops... forgot to carry the one :lol:

[bakerbarber]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7632408.stm